


The Risk of being Pepper Potts

by madammina



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comes from a Tumblr post of Phil and Pepper playing Risk, Gen, natasha is just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-17 10:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1383478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madammina/pseuds/madammina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After years of playing Risk together, Phil Coulson is no more.  Still, Pepper Potts finds herself at the bar they used to share and spends her nights there, thinking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Risk of being Pepper Potts

Pepper Potts knew now why Tony liked to drown his sorrows. Oh, she wasn’t an alcoholic like him, but she found herself slipping down to the bar she and Phil liked to drink at during their late nights. As soon as she came in, the bartender would stick down her favorite martini with the smallest _clink_. And she’d smile, compliment him on the drink, and then just gulp it down. Sometimes, that would be it, other times Tony had to come get her. Maybe that’s why he stopped drinking, so he could catch her then. 

Was it too much to ask to go to the funeral? Sure, she didn’t know any of the agents besides Natasha, and Natasha had just vanished. The phone number wasn’t in use anymore, the old apartment (where Pepper would sometimes go, back when Natasha was there. Pepper was the best at painting nails and they would have long business talks and Natasha would teach her Russian as Pepper taught Natasha Stock Markets and then they would compare how to braid and bun their hair.) the apartment was cleaned out. The only thing Pepper had ever gotten was a notice that Phil’s will had left her a collection of his board games (turns out he was a bit of a collector/hoarder) and Tony had said how Phil Coulson had died.

Pepper had started making sure her suit jackets had stronger backs. She wasn’t expecting anything literal, but that kind of death hurt everyone. Tony could never answer how Phil Coulson had died, if it was peaceful. And after a month, she had stopped asking. 

So, yet another drink goes down, and before she tries to figure if she’s had enough or not, someone sits next to her. She barely recognizes Phil’s cologne, all woody and sharp. With a Bloody Mary in front of her, she drinks it, letting the tomato juice wash over her tongue and wipe out the spices. 

"You’ve had a month, did you ever figure out how to take Madagascar?" 

Tomato juice drips over the counter and she turns to see his slightly balding face.

"Okay, okay, let’s clean this up before you-" But her arms are already wrapped around him, and he returns the gesture, complete with a small kiss on the top of her head. "You can’t tell Tony, okay? Not yet."

"Where’d you go? I heard you died." She sobbed, how much did she drink? Would she remember this? 

"I did die, I recovered in Tahiti. It’s a magical place."


End file.
